Do you love the performance of your summer outdoor power equipment (OPE), but hate the fight it gives you each spring after being in winter storage? So do we. That’s why Eric and I put together our list of gas engine tips to help your summer OPE wake-up on the first try each spring.
Read on for these gas engine tips. I also go over issues with modern gas and why it’s causing you problems, and our #1 tip for winter storage.
Issues with Modern Gas
If you came to me on any given day and asked me why your gas OPE isn’t working, I’d put money down that the culprit is bad gas.
95% of gas OPE issues are bad gas, especially when you consider the state of modern gas. Despite the rise in gas prices, gas quality is only going down. It is cheaply refined and goes stale after 30 days. Also, infusing corn-based ethanol may help with gas prices, but your OPE does not like ethanol. It can eat away gaskets and rust the internal components of your engines.
Our gas engine tips today focus on fixing the problems caused by modern gas and ethanol.
Gas Engine Tips
Here are our go-to gas engine tips in our recommended order for fixing summer OPE.
- Remove Old Gas: Empty out any gas left in the tank from the previous season and DO NOT fill your tank back up with leftover gas sitting in that gas can in your garage. I know current gas prices make it tempting, but DO NOT DO IT.
- Start with Fresh Gas: Go to a busy gas station that gets regular gas deliveries and fill at least a tank’s worth of gas for your summer OPE. Remember, modern gas goes stale after 30 days.
- Use Fuel Stabilizer: Unless you go through a lot of gas, I recommend buying the small bottles of fuel stabilizer. Fuel stabilizer is generally good for two years after opening and they are available at most hardware stores, auto shops and sections, and Amazon.
- Rescue Your Engine: If your OPE is still not starting up then your engine may be negatively impacted by bad gas – but you can fix it! I recommend adding to your engine a bottle of Mechanic in a Bottle. This product is about $20 for two bottles on Amazon.
- Use Ethanol-FREE Gas: Remove ethanol altogether with an ethanol-free option. I like TruFuel. They have both 50:1 and 40:1 formulas.
- Test Your Gas: I admit it, I have never had to use a gasoline test kit because the following steps have always fixed my gas problems. But if you still have issues after following these steps I recommend testing your gas with a Gasoline Quality Test Kit from Mechanic in a Bottle.
These gas engine tips have always worked for me, Eric, and our friends and family. If you try all these and still have issues let us know in the comments and we’ll brainstorm solutions to your problem.
Gas OPE Winterizing Tips
If you know you have used your gas OPE for the last time this season, then my #1 recommendation is to run the tank empty, or manually empty the tank. Then start your mower one last time and let it run out of fuel. This ensures no gas sits and gets stale over winter or during long-term storage and should prevent problems in the spring.
 wake-up after a long winter in storage with our gas engine tips. These should help your gas-powered OPE start up on the first pull.){kind=link}
If I recall correctly, you said on one of your videos that you like to try to use all the fuel up in engine. So no gas is left in the tank. Is that correct? I have been trying to do that with my lawn mower.
Hi Herald, Personally I think it is best to run the tanks empty for long term storage.
I’ve been using Seafoam for the last year or so with good results. It does several things including stabilizing and cleaning. Every time I fill up my can I add 1 oz. per gallon so I’m always running treated fuel.
Thanks. I was thinking for every time. Duh.